Shun Kawakubo

Sustainability assessment of cities: SDGs and GHG emissions

ABSTRACT The United Nations’ (UN) sustainable development goals (SDGs), the core of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Paris Agreement, were adopted in 2015. Involvement of not only national governments but also all other stakeholders including local governments is important to promote sustainable development and to achieve the goals. The question arises, therefore, of what methods should be used to best implement and assess sustainability issues at a local level. In this light, a new version of Comprehensive Assessment System for Built Environment Efficiency (CASBEE), CASBEE for Cities, is introduced for assessing the sustainability of cities and communities around the world based on SDG indicators and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The tool allows users to understand the sustainability of cities and communities based on quality (Q) and environmental load (L) perspectives. The sustainability assessments show that cities in developed countries tend to have good grades for Q, but bad grades for L, while cities in developing countries tend to have the opposite trend. This will assist cities and communities in both developed and developing countries to understand urgent problems and to identify effective solutions for sustainable development.

The 10th International Conference on EcoBalance (EcoBalance 2012) - Challenges and Solutions for Sustainable Society, November 20-23, 2012, Tokyo, Japan

The 10th International Conference on EcoBalance (EcoBalance 2012), organized by The Institute of Life Cycle Assessment, Japan, was held during November 20–23, 2012 at the Hiyoshi Campus of Keio University in Yokohama City. The conference was co-hosted by Keio University and The Ecomaterial Forum, and backed by the Cabinet Office; the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism; and the Ministry of Environment. It was also supported by 74 related societies and associations. The Commemorative Organization for the Japan World Exposition ‘70 and the Life Cycle Assessment Society of Japan provided monetary aid for the management of the conference. In addition, the event was co-sponsored by the following eight corporations and groups:

Estimation of CO2 reduction potential in small cities and towns considering the change of social situation

Enhancement of the governance and the cooperative structure of local governments toward the reduction of carbon output is becoming more and more important. In this study, the CO2 reduction potential of the town of Yusuhara - selected as one of the “Eco-model Cities for the Low Carbon Society” (EMC) by the Japanese cabinet office - is estimated considering the change of social situation. Such estimation supports local governments to formulate their action plans and contributes to the realization of low carbon society.